The Food Porn Awards have now released this year’s finalists, after extending its shortlist to the general public to vote for the first time.  

The public votes have been counted and the finalists of this year’s awards for the best-looking dish in the North are revealed.

This year has seen a record number of entries, with over 350 chefs and restaurants across the North of England submitting their most impressive and creative dishes. A public vote was opened to allow people to have the chance to feast their eyes on images of the chef’s most delectable dishes and vote for their favourite.

The Awards opened the shortlist to a public vote on the 6th November and closed on the 18th December with over 3,500 votes received. Twelve of the finest culinary creations were selected to become finalists across two categories; Fine Dining and Casual Dining.

The 6 top ranking dishes from each category have now gone through to the finals from the North West, North East and Yorkshire including Podium at the Hilton Deansgate, Kettlebell Kitchen and MasterChef winner Simon Woods’ restaurant Wood Manchester. The full list of finalists can be found on the website www.foodpornawards.co.uk. The 12 finalist dishes will then be reviewed by a panel of esteemed judges, including food developers, food bloggers and food journalists, to pick the final winner for each category, with winners announced at the Northern Restaurant and Bar Show in March 2018. 

Established in the North West in 2016, the Food Porn Awards are expanding following a solid and successful development in to Yorkshire and Cumbria last year.  

Now in its third year, the coveted awards are a celebration of the best-looking dishes from restaurants, bars, pubs and eateries across the North. The Awards give chefs in the Northern regions an opportunity to enter images of their most visually impressive dishes to win the esteemed 2018 award.

Over the last two years the competition has seen more than 600 entries, among them Manchester hot spots Menagerie and Iberica, The Grand Hotel and Spa in York, Cumbria’s The Gilpin Hotel and Lake House, as well as restaurants from well-known groups, including The Botanist, Blackhouse and the New Moon Company. Previous winners include celebrity chef Simon Rimmer and his restaurant Earle Restaurant, Hale.

Phil Marshall, STM managing director and curator of the Food Porn Awards, said: “The past two years of the awards have been hugely successful and showcased the wide range of talent in the North West, Cumbria and Yorkshire. This year we are delighted to open up the competition to the public and offer a brand-new People’s Choice award. After last year’s successful expansion, we had to ensure 2018 was even bigger and better.”

“It was also important to give Food Porn Awards’ fans a chance to have their say, so including the new public vote element will enable everyone to have an input and support their favourite dishes. We hope to see chefs at their most creative once again, and with more competition than ever before, it is shaping up to be a very exciting year.”

Sponsors and partners for this year’s awards include catering equipment supplier, Stephensons; specialist food photographers, STM Photography and social media agency STM Social.